The Princess, the Frog and their Tadpoles
by wraith17
Summary: It was two months, one week and five days after Esmeralda Ursula Hallow's second birthday when she came to the realisation that would change her life forever - her mother was getting fat.


It was two months, one week and five days after Esmeralda Ursula Hallow's second birthday when she came to the realisation that would change her life forever - her mother was getting fat. If the young witch were indeed capable of deeper introspection at her tender age perhaps she would have understood the significance of this fact but as it stood little Esmie, as her mother and father often lovingly called her, was not and so had to muddle through these trying times that truly began when, like many other days, her father scooped her off her play mat with gentle hands and placed her on her mother's lap where she was seated on the couch.

"Esmie," Ursula Hallow began, a radiant smile lighting up her slightly fuller face, complimenting the recently acquired glow that had seemed to take up a permanent home on her lightly tanned skin. "Mummy and Daddy have something very important we'd like to tell you." She said seriously, glancing at her husband who now sat next to her, their thighs brushing together as he laced the fingers of her right and his left hand together and she placed her remaining hand over the swell of her belly.

Esmie waited with as much patience as a two year old could muster, wriggling forward on her mother's lap, a pout fixed firmly on her face as her mother's expanded belly prevented her from moving closer and she sucked strongly on the dummy in her mouth with irritation.

"You're going to be a big sister." Ulysses Hallow finished for his wife with no small measure of joy and he smiles down encouragingly at his tiny daughter, reaching out his much larger hand to cover his wife's on her belly, his smile evolving to an unrestrained grin. "And it feels like your little sibling is very excited to meet you." He adds after feeling a particularly strong kick. "Would you like to feel the baby, Esmie?"

Esmie didn't know what the heck her father was talking about but found herself intrigued by the notion of this 'baby' and reassured by the warmth in her father's brown eyes looked towards the spot where her parents hands interlocked upon her mother's stomach with interest seeing her parents were now having one of their weird staring contents again.

"I think that's your answer, Lysses." Ursula murmured lowly, sky blue eyes twinkling as she stretched out her pink bed sock covered toes while her husband moved their daughter closer, supporting her up with a hand upon her back.

Esmie sucked more thoughtfully on her dummy as her father gently guided her to touch her mother, understanding from his queue that her mother wanted a hug and ever eager to oblige the little girl pressed herself against the hard bulge when neither soft breasts nor soothing heartbeat were offered to her. With her ear pressed to her mother Esmie's chocolate eyes widened as she heard something akin to the calming lullaby of her parents' love filled hearts. Her body relaxed where it lay pressed against her mother, eyelids growing heavy with sleep as her onesie was warmed and the sucks on her dummy slowing when she was viciously attacked!

A solid kick to her cheek sent Esmie reeling back to wake fullness causing her to squawk in alarm, her dummy dropping from her open mouth as her features scrunch up with indignation. The feeling only growing as her mother's tinkling laughter and her father's hearty chuckles reach her ears. Traitors! She huffed and sat back from the vicious beast inside her mother, eyeing it warily and whining as her father ruffles her dark blonde hair before, acceptably, offering her dummy back to her. Esmie graciously taking the peace offering from her parents, and sucking leisurely upon it as she watches once more deciding her task as this 'big sister' must be to keep the monster at bay, determined to do this and protect what is hers.

o

As the months passed and her mother grew bigger still Esmie learned a few things about the belly monster; it made her mother eat strange smelling foods, sleep more often and longer and the worst thing of all it made sure play time with her mother was shorter and shorter when she came home from the place her parents referred to as 'work'. Esmie huffed heavily around her dummy as she sits propped up against Sirius', her father's familiar, furry belly, the long-haired German Shepherd chewing happily on one of his toys while Esmie halfheartedly rolls her ball between her small, pudgy hands and stares at her mother napping on the couch; her shoulder length platinum blonde hair mussed and hanging half over her face, getting rustled in time with her snores, her familiar, Morningstar, a fluffy and poised black cat curled up in her arms as they spooned, and an open story book dangling from her purple painted fingertips. Today had been a particularly bad play day for Esmie, her mother had only managed to get through the first page of the story before the treacherous Morningstar had curled up against her chest where her mother lay on the couch and it was her purring, Esmie knew that siren song all too well, that tipped her mother over the edge and left Esmie in the lurch.

It was all the belly monster's fault, this 'baby', who had slowly but surely started stealing her mother from her. Esmie was not an unreasonable toddler, she knew this, as she was very kind to let her mummy and daddy have their staring contests and give each other kisses and cuddles she would usually insist be given to her. The belly monster apparently did not share Esmie's kind and giving nature and instead resorted to trickery and deceit to keep her parents from spending time with her, even now her daddy was too busy cleaning the acidic smelling mess the belly monster made in the toilet to read the story book to her now her mummy was asleep. Esmie looked down at the ball, watching the stars move as she rolled it and gave a slow suck on her dummy, the colour of it shifted from a dark orange to a deep blue, betraying the toddler's mood. Sirius and Morningstar perk up at the same time, soulful brown eyes meeting haughty grey as the familiars share a wordless conversation, Morningstar nodding once before lowering her head back down to rest on her paws, unwilling to disturb her witch's nap. Sirius carefully got to his paws, nudging the side of Esmie's head with his cold and wet nose before licking her little cheek, hoping to cheer her up, as he nudged the ball towards her only to whimper softly as Esmie continued to look downcast and sucked slowly on her dummy.

"Esmie, why the long face?" Ulysses asked as he entered the room, keeping his voice down to not disturb his wife as he knelt down by his forlorn daughter and tickled her chin gently. Esmie lifted her head and cast a glance over at her sleeping mother and pointed her finger, her father's head looking to where she gestured. "Ah. Mummy fell asleep before she finished reading you the special story didn't she? Don't worry, she's just tired, Esmie, it doesn't mean Mummy didn't want to read you the story." At Esmie's nod Ulysses picked her up under her armpits and moved her onto his lap, once settled he carefully plucked the story book from his wife's loose grip and held it up so Esmie could see the pictures. "The Princess and the Frog. Once upon a time there was a handsome prince and a beautiful princess and they were very much in love until one day the prince was turned into a frog by a mean fairy." He began making sure to use the dramatic voices Esmie loved for her stories. As her father read the little witch listened to the tale with wide dark eyes, her tiny fingers tracing over the pictures, mumbling the characters' names as she dubbed them around her dummy, as she leaned back against her father and grinned as her father finished the story. "Holding the frog in her hands, the princess kissed him right on his little green head," Esmie giggled as her father did it to her. "And watched in amazement as he disappeared, in a bright whoosh of light, and turned back into the handsome prince with true love's kiss. The prince and princess were soon married and they both lived happily ever after. The end."

Esmie clapped her hands together happily, bouncing in his lap as she cooed and spat the dummy from her mouth leaving it to swing from the chain connected by a clip to her little violet shirt. "Happy froggy!"

"That's right, Esmie, happy froggy." Ulysses praised as he set down the book down and tickled Esmie's round belly, relishing her giggles as she wriggled.

"She loves that story." Came a sleepy murmur from the couch and Ulysses smiled as he scooted over with Esmie to kiss his now awake wife.

"She does, it was worth all the hours I spent making it and thank you for drawing all the pictures." Ulysses said with a grin, tucking and smoothing Ursula's blonde hair back from her face and setting Esmie on the couch. The little witch babbled nonsense about her story happily and hugged tightly to her mother's throat. "Almost makes your mother turning me into a frog worth it."

Ursula hummed softly, rubbing Esmie's back and kissed her cheek. "Almost? As I recall it I did save you before the familiars got to you, I know for me the cat scratches and losing my shoe was worth it and you got to cuddle and watch your favourite movie with me until Mother decided to turn you back." She finished with a scowl, remembering how her mother had made her literally beg for her boyfriend to be turned back.

"I did learn to swim in your sink as a bonus as well." Ulysses piped in lightly, leaning down to kiss his wife again, nearly getting kicked in the nose by Esmie as she climbed onto her mother's chest.

"You do have a rather good breaststroke now." Ursula replied with a smile, wincing slightly as Esmie settled on her sternum, and tickled her daughter's belly, relishing her giggle. "And you did look adorable curled up in my bed wearing those frog sized pyjamas I made for you. Speaking of the frog, when do you plan on telling my mother she's the antagonist of your little fairytale?"

Ulysses blushed and ducked his head, leaning his smooth shaven chin on the cushions of the couch. "Never, I'm still not sure she wouldn't do it again and I don't want to find out if the swans will eat a frog."

"She wouldn't dare, I'd never forgive her if she hurt you." Ursula replied, sitting up with another wince, rubbing at the ache in her lower back while holding Esmie against her breasts, hissing at the sudden pain shooting through them as Esmie pressed the swollen and sensitive tissue flat. "Ugh, neither would this one, sorry, these two." She added as the baby kicked, allowing her husband to help her adjust herself on the couch. "Can you take Esmie? I just can't hold her how she wants anymore."

"No!" Esmie cried out, her face crumpling in despair.

Once perched next to his wife on the couch Ulysses took the now sniffling toddler and set her down on his lap. "I don't think she's very happy about it."

Ursula sighed heavily and rubbed the back of her hand across her eyes. "She won't have to worry about it for much longer." She said and smoothed her hand over the loose fitted shirt covering her belly.

"Only three days now. Are you sure you don't want to stop working yet?" Ulysses asked with clear nervousness.

"Esmie was two weeks late, don't worry, I'll be fine." Ursula reassured him and squeezed his hand gently before smoothing a hand over her daughter's dark blonde waves with a tender smile.

o

Exactly three days later Esmie found herself seated on her grandmother's lap, her grandfather reading her a story, in a strange smelling place filled with bright lights and delightful beeps, swinging her little feet she sucked on her dummy and glanced up at her grandmother.

"Don't worry, Esmie, we'll be able to see your mother soon." Enya Hallow said and smiled down at her granddaughter, patting her back soothingly as she shared a proud smile with her husband.

"Esmie!" Ulysses said with a beaming smile, reaching down to pick up his daughter and kissed her cheek with exuberance. "There's someone very special your mum and I would like you to meet." He said and looked to his in laws with an open smile as Esmie looked confused between the three adults while she was carried into another room.

Her mother was seated upright in a bed, plush pillows propping her up, hair sweat stained and face flushed, holding something protectively close to her chest and smiling down on it in with the smile that belongs to Esmie! Her displeasure only deepens as she realised her father had only set her to the side of her mother's lap, truly outrageous when taken into consideration that the belly monster was now gone and Esmie could fit quite comfortably there once more.

"Esmie, this is Ethel Lucretia Hallow, your little sister." Ursula said softly to her confused daughter, cradling the swaddled baby close to her chest, rearranging the hospital blanket gently around her body as she fought back the wave of tiredness threatening to consume her even if sleep would give her relief from the discomfort and soreness in her body. Instead she angles the bundle in her arms as her husband lifts their firstborn to gain a better perspective of Ethel's flattened red face. The baby only curled closer against the warmth and security her mother readily provided, a little fist wrapping firmly around the offered purple tipped finger and Ursula didn't resist the impulse to lean down and press a tender kiss to the fine dusting of light blonde hair on the newborn's head.

Esmie tilted her head to the side, clinging onto her father's shirt collar as she leaned forward and her dark eyes raked over this new creature with curiosity. "Swister?" Esmie asked with a slur, after spitting the dummy from her mouth, unused to this word without the big next to it, just what was a 'little sister' anyway?

"Yes, Esmie," Ursula murmured quietly and leaned back against the pillows with a soft hiss of discomfort. "You remember the baby in Mummy's tummy don't you? This is her."

At the use of the word 'baby' Esmie looked down sharply, a frown furrowing her brow. "No baby." She said at last, clinging to her father possessively, further confused when he and her grandmother only laughed.

"Don't worry, Esmie, you'll learn to love Ethel soon enough." Ulysses promised with a smile, leaning down with their daughter to kiss his wife's forehead. "We'll go, you two need your rest." He looked down then at at his younger daughter's sleeping face and kissed her tiny wrinkled forehead. "I'll see you both in the morning, hey? First thing."

Esmie watched on as her mother nodded tiredly, setting down Ethel in a little cot by her bed and covered herself with the blankets with her grandmother's help.

"Well done, darling. I'll come back with your father later tomorrow, alright? Give you a chance to rest." Enya murmurs softly, tentatively reaching out and stroking daughter's cheek, relieved when she didn't pull away and only nods in response.

Cyrillus Hallow stepped up and cupped his daughter's cheek in his hand, rubbing his thumb over the skin. "I'm so proud of you baby bear, Ethel is beautiful." He said and kissed her forehead.

"Thank you, Daddy." Ursula replied sleepily her eyes sliding shut.

Beaming with pride Cyrillus tilted his head to address his son in law in a quiet tone to not disturb his daughter. "And I'm sure your mother will be most flattered for you naming your baby after her."

"It was Ursi's idea." Ulysses stated with pride, puffing up slightly and jostled Esmie who's gaze had been locked intently on her mother, not wanting to leave her. "Say night night to Mummy now Esmie."

"Nini Mama." Esmie parrots, stretching her little body towards her mother, wanting her goodnight hug, as her mother eyes open once more and a small smile lights her face up over the tiredness for a brief moment.

"Night Esmie, be a good girl for Daddy won't you?" Ursula muttered sluggishly before her head lolled against the pillow as she fell asleep.

"Good girl." Esmie replied sadly as she saw she wouldn't get her hug, snuggling against her father instead as he and her grandparents turned to leave her mother behind. As the door closed her eyes settled on the cot and the baby inside, frowning once more and clutching her daddy tighter more determined than ever that this 'Ethel' would not win.

o

Things were worse than Esmie could have even imagined once the baby cum interloper - Ethel was brought home from the strange smelling place. She was loud and obnoxious, fussy and helpless and she stole her favourite sleeping spot on her mother's breasts while she stole the food from them, not that Esmie wanted that food anymore, she was a big girl after all, but it was the principle of the matter! Esmie carefully pulled herself up using the edge of the bassinet her mother had placed on the rug in the living room, peering inside as her mother carefully lowered the Interloper into it, tucking a blanket around her body and pressed a kiss to her forehead.

"Say goodnight to your sister, Esmie." Ursula murmured softly, her eyes still focused on the six month old baby who was already fast asleep after her bath.

"Nini Ethie." Esmie muttered, walking to her mother's side and tugging on the sleeve of her thin black woolen jumper to get her attention. "Mama up!" She asked, lifting up her arms only to jut her lower lip out in a pout as she was ignored. "Mama?"

"Hmm?" Ursula said softly, finally turning her head to look tiredly at her firstborn. "Oh, sorry baby, Mummy is just tired." With that she scooped Esmie up onto her lap, hugging her loosely with her chin resting on top of Esmie's head, looking back at Ethel. "Isn't she beautiful?" She added wistfully and twirled a finger around a curl in Esmie's pigtails.

Esmie grunted noncommittally not seeing the appeal herself, the Interloper didn't do anything other than complain and make messes all over her mother and father's clothes.

Ursula smiled and pressed a kiss to the crown of Esmie's head. "So are you, Esmie. You're growing up so fast, how-"

"Ursi! I need your help in the kitchen!" Ulysses cried out suddenly, over the top of his wife.

Both blondes turned in the direction of the voice and Ursula sighed before moving Esmie off her lap and setting her down in her little playpen. "I'll be back soon, darling, be a good girl." With that Ursula hurried from the room leaving the girls under the supervision of Morningstar.

Esmie frowned from her spot on the floor, turning her unimpressed gaze to the bassinet and reached up to the lock on her playpen, opening it and walking back over to the bassinet. She looked into it only to see bright blue eyes looking up at her curiously, little feet kicking at her blanket and Esmie decided then and there that this was her chance to get rid of the interloper. She reached into the bassinet and lifted the small baby into her arms, making her way carefully out of the room into the conservatory and spied the perfect spot to deal with the interloper. Lifting Ethel off her shoulder she placed the baby in one of the half full pots of dirt her father had yet to put new flowers in. Using her bucket and shovel Esmie started filling the pot with dirt, the Interloper gurgling and patting the dirt as she is covered up to her chest. Looking around Esmie grabbed some flowers and shoved a few into the pot, not all the right way up, and placed the rest on top of the Interloper's blonde head. The Interloper only giggling as she grabbed a stem and waved it around and Esmie nodded with satisfaction before heading back into the living room, sitting down on the floor and playing with her blocks as she listened to the hysterical shrieks of her parents from the kitchen.

"Ethel is only six months old! We can't have another baby so soon it'll be like having twins!"

"You don't think I know that! You're not the one who's going to be a fat cow for years! And you were supposed to get a vasectomy after Ethel was born!"

"I did! I even had a test a week ago! It worked!"

"It can't have worked if I'm pregnant! Did you do exactly what he said for recovery?"

"Yes! He said it would take three weeks and during that time I had to use other forms of protection which I did, I wouldn't get you pregnant on purpose… well I would but you know what I mean."

"Three weeks? Isn't it three months?"

"No, he said weeks, see? He even wrote it down for me."

"Baby, I don't know what to tell you, the nurse told me it was three months."

"Oh, Oh Ursi, this is all my fault. I'm so sorry! Can you ever forgive me?"

"This was not your fault, Lysses! It was the doctor. Please don't cry, so we are going to have another baby, it's not the end of the world and we will make it work. Don't- Ugh, Morningstar! Let go of my sock!"

Morningstar yowled loudly, yanking harder on the pink fluffy wool and gave her witch a meaningful stare.

"The babies?" Ursula asked suddenly frantic for a whole new reason and ran into the living room, Ulysses hot on her heels.

"Everything looks fine, love." He assured her, rubbing her arms soothingly.

"No wait...where is Ethie?"

"What?"

"I put her in the bassinet and Esmeralda in the play pen and Ethel is just gone!" Ursula said as she started to sound panicked.

Ulysses looked to his elder daughter who was amusing herself with knocking over her blocks. "Ursula, Esmie isn't in the playpen and it's open." He knelt down in front of the toddler and said seriously. "Esmie, where is Ethie?"

Esmie only replied simply. "No baby." Looking up in surprise as her mother sobbed and started frantically looking all around the room for her missing baby, tearing the room apart as she did so.

"Ethel!"

"Esmie, please, take us to your sister. You're not in trouble I promise. Please tell us where Ethie is." He tried futilely as Esmie just continued to shake her head, muttering the same response over and over again and only looked up when Sirius trotted into the room, woofing and snuffling at his wizard's hand. "Sirius, Sirius, I need you to find Ethie, please!"

Sirius barks once, seeming to nod his head as he lowers it and sniffed the bassinet following the scent out of the living room, his wizard's mate hot on his paws. It only takes him a minute to follow the scent inside the conservatory, his head cocked as he heard a gurgle, tail wagging as he looked at the rustling flower pot.

"Ethie!" Ursula cried out in relief, pushing aside the flowers and revealing her daughter's joyful face, a few flowers sitting on her head and dirt smeared over every inch of her. "You're alright!" She cooed and lifted the filthy baby out of the flower pot, cuddling her close, uncaring of the mess on her own clothes and covered her daughter's face and hands with kisses.

Ethel snuggled against her mother, giggling at the tickle of her loose platinum blonde hair rubbing against her face, taking a fistful as she headbutts her mother's chest before settling down.

"Lysses! I have her, she's okay!" Ursula called out as she made her way back into the living room, uncaring of the clumps of dirt that fell from Ethel's onesie as she cried tears of relief.

"Thank god!" Ulysses said and immediately stood to wrap his arms around his wife and daughter, pressing a kiss to the top of Ethel's head and wiping the tears off his wife's cheeks. "It's alright, love, she's okay. Why don't you go give Ethie a bath and I'll deal with our little green girl over there."

Ursula sniffed, nodding her head and left with Ethel, Morningstar trotting along behind her witch as they climb the stairs to the bathroom.

Ulysses sat cross legged next to his daughter on the rug, reaching out and taking one of her little hands in his larger one. "You don't like Ethel very much do you, Esmie?"

Esmie shook her head, picking up a block and stacking it. "No baby. My Mama. My Dada."

"Oh Esmie," He started and lifted the toddler onto his lap, rubbing her back. "Just because Ethie is here now doesn't mean we don't love you. You are such a wonderful daughter that Mummy and Daddy wanted another baby just like you."

"Yes?" Esmie asked, putting her dummy in her mouth and sucked on it.

"Yes Esmie, Daddy promises." He said and booped the tip of her nose, smiling as Esmie curled up against him, thinking that they had turned a corner.

For Esmie she had just decided she'd clearly have to try a bit harder… after all she knew where her father kept the stamps.

o

Seven months and thirty-five failed 'Get rid of the Interloper' attempts later, Esmie sat up on the couch, her little feet brushing her mother's shoulders as she held her mother's pretty blonde hair in her hands and brushed it with careful strokes...careful for a three year old at least.

"Ow! Esmie, be gentle, darling." Ursula kindly reminded her elder daughter, from where she sat on the floor in front of the couch, wincing as the toddler cracked her in the back of the head with her brush, again, as she gently rocked the younger nursing peacefully in her arms. With the song interrupted her unborn child kicked her kidney in protest to the interruption and with a smile, Ursula continued singing the lullaby once more.

"Sorry Mummy." Esmie pouted lightly, looking over her mother's bare shoulder to the Interloper sucking away without a care in the world, and her brown eyes narrowed. As of late all her crafty attempts to get rid of her were no longer being thwarted by their protective parents or the vigil familiars but by the Interloper herself.

The rotten creature apparently had started seeing Esmie's attempts to get rid of her as a game, if her joyful giggling was anything to go by, and as soon as her father and mother had Esmie cornered, trying to get the Interloper's location from her, said Interloper would just crawl back into the room Esmie had carried her from. Much to the delight and joy of her mother and father and Esmie's displeasure, not even stuffing the Interloper through Sirius's doggy door and leaving her outside slowed her down from getting back into Esmie's home and stealing her parents' attention once more. But that wasn't even the worst part, oh no, the time of reckoning had come once more, Ragnarok, Judgment Day aka her mother was getting fat again.

The new belly monster/Interloper to be would soon come back from the smelly place with the delightful beeps if the increase in her father's hovering and the creature's attacks were anything to go by. Esmie could only hope that this new Interloper would not be as difficult to hide in her toy chest like the last one was.

"Good girl, Ethie! That was such a big lunch wasn't it?" Ursula cooed, fixing her bra and shirt back into place once Ethel burped before holding her baby up to her face, the little witch's face lighting up with a big grin. "Yes, it was! Who's Mummy's big, beautiful girl?" She asked rhetorically with a baby voice and pressed raspberry kisses to her squealing daughter's belly.

"I am." Esmie muttered quietly in a wobegon tone, too quiet for her mother to hear over her baby's laughter, glaring at the happiness on the Interloper's face as she looked down at her lap and fiddled with the hem of her soft, lilac dress with the white lace trim. Thinking of the matching ribbons her mother had taken the time that morning to painstakingly weave into her braided hair when the epiphany suddenly struck Esmie - she would do the same for her mother! Making her even prettier would make her happy and get her attention off the Interloper and belly monster for once! With a smile Esmie reached out for her little pink pencil case, sifting through the contents until she found what she was looking for - a small pair of equally pink safety scissors. The little witch was full of confidence as she carefully picked up a piece of her mother's beautiful blonde hair and snipped, letting her creative juices flow as she cut.

Once Esmie had enough to work with she piled the small clump of platinum blonde hair she had obtained on the skirt of her dress and started weaving it together in a toddler's imitation of the braids her mother would do. The front door opening and Sirius barking, his tail naturally wagging, signalled her father's return home from a place Esmie had begun to get more familiar with, 'the shops' and, like Sirius, she wriggled with excitement, calling out to him, eager to show her father her progress.

"Daddy!" She chirped in her high-pitched voice, chocolate brown eyes lighting up as she smiled.

"There are my beautiful girls!" Ulysses exclaimed, coming into the living room after setting down his parcel at the doorway and ruffling Sirius' ears.

Ursula looked up from the book she had started to read to her daughters, delighted by her husband's return. "Did you have a nice time, darling?

"I did." He said with a nod as he stood over his wife with a grin. "So, are you going to tell me how long this time or do I have to guess?"

Ursula's cheeks blushed prettily with embarrassment, her tone sheepish. "Two hours."

"Ursi, you've seriously been stuck on the floor for the whole time I've been gone?" He scolded, brown eyes raking over his wife from the tip of her pink bed sock covered toes to the top of her ruffled blonde hair with concern. "What if something had happened? I couldn't bare it if something happened to you or the girls." He added and offered her his hands. "Come on you need to stretch at least, I doubt the yoga pants help your circulation more than walking."

Ursula nodded her head, conceding her husband's point, placing the story book on the floor next to her and carefully lowering Ethel into the bassinet on the other side of her before taking her husband's hands in her's.

"Ready?" He asked and, with her consent, slowly lifted his heavily pregnant wife to her feet, placing a steadying hand around her waist while keeping a hold of her hand. "Uh...Ursi?" He asked his voice tinged with shock. "What have you done to your hair?"

"My hair?" She asked quizzically with a grimace as the baby kicked her kidney with particular vigor, reaching back with her free hand to touch it. "Nothing I just brushed it and-oh no, oh my god!" She screamed as she felt a gap in her hair and the bare nape of her neck it exposed. "My hair!"

"My love, please, breathe!" Ulysses coached her gently as he guided her to sit on the couch next to Esmie and cupped her pale cheeks his in warm hands and stared into her eyes imploringly.

"How could this have happened?" Ursula hiccuped, unaware of the sadness now coursing through her firstborn child.

The little girl carefully scooped up her attempt at a braid and crawled the distance to her mother, offering her the braid so she would stop crying. "Don't cry Mummy." She said, barely choking back her own tears.

"Esmeralda!" Her mother scolded, immediately regretting her tone as tears started running down her daughter's cheeks. "Oh, darling, no. Don't cry, please, Mummy is sorry, I shouldn't have shouted at you." She said softly and quickly pulled the sniffling child onto her lap, pressing a gentle kiss onto the top of her head. "Shhh, it's alright, I'm not angry."

"Why did you cut Mummy's hair, Esmie?" Ulysses tried, in a lighter tone, rubbing her back as they wait for her to calm down enough to speak.

"W-Want to make Mummy pretty. Like Mummy m-make me." She hiccuped as she clung for dear life to the lavender shirt her mother was wearing, pressing her face against her breasts until she jerks back when her face gets wet with more than her tears. "Mummy leaking!" She accused, pointing at her mother who snorted with laughter even as she tried to hold her shirt away from her breasts.

"Yes, baby, Mummy's leaking." Ursula smiled as her husband lifted their daughter up off her lap. "Feel better, Esmie?" She asked as she wriggled herself to the edge of the couch and, with a bit of difficulty, stood up.

"Yes Mummy." Esmie said, putting her arm around her father's neck and grabbed a fist full of his dirty blonde hair.

"Alright, my little hairdresser," He said and gently untangled his daughter's fist from his wavy locks. "We'll let your sister nap and you and I can play while Mummy gets changed, does that sound good?"

"Yes Daddy." Esmie nods with a smile as her father set her down carefully on the rug, leaving her to walk over to her dolls and select the one she wanted - choosing her soft ragdoll with the blonde hair and purple dress her grandfather had crocheted for her.

"Lysses…" Came the soft call from behind them, Esmie turning on the spot from where she had sat on the rug, her eyes wide with surprise as she takes in the sight before her - her mother's usually tanned skin had gone white with shock, her warm blue eyes wide in pain and fear and her voice trembled as she extended a bloody hand towards her father while the other clutched, white knuckled, at the swell of her belly. "It's too early."

o

The rest of the afternoon was all a blur of activity to Esmie; her father made a few frantic calls on the special maglet Esmie wasn't allowed to play with, which was fine with her seeing it didn't moo and quack like her's did; her grandparents arrived in the living room with a shimmer of magic while her father held her mother's red, red hand in his talking to her in a low voice while her mother wept; and then her grandmother, her usually calm blue eyes wide with fear, reached down into the bassinet, lifting the Interloper up and held her tightly to her chest, while her grandfather did the same for her and then her parents were gone in another shimmer of magic.

Now she sat, swinging her feet halfheartedly, upon her unusually stoic grandfather's lap in the strange smelling place, the bright lights and delightful beeps not a source of amusement for Esmie this time, feeling something tight squeezing her little chest and she looked over at her aunt Epona and her mother's parents on one side of the room and her father's parents on the other, who had appeared in a shimmer of magic when her grandmother made another call on the special maglet when they reached the strange smelling place.

Esmie looked over at the assembled group of adults; Her maternal grandmother's perfectly curled, platinum blonde hair swung into her face as she pressed a kiss to the Interloper's sleeping cheek, but not before Esmie noted the worry in her eyes; Epona sat curled in on herself, gnawing on her lower lip as she stared ahead at nothing with a frown on her face; her paternal grandfather paced by the door, pausing periodically as he checked for his son before resuming his pacing with a tug on his dirty blonde hair; her paternal grandmother sat perched on the edge of her chair, ash blonde hair hanging limply down by her ears, slowly feeding Esmie cookies from a bag like a baby bird with a gentle smile; and finally her maternal grandfather, who she had to crane her neck to look up at, taking in his rumpled red hair sticking up at weird angles from how many times he'd run his fingers through it.

"Grandpa?" Esmie asked, tugging on his sleeve for attention as his worried blue eyes landed on his elder grandchild.

"Yes Esmie?" He asked, adding on. "Are you thirsty, do you need the toilet?"

"Where's Mummy?"

"Mummy is…" He paused, looking at his wife, unsure what to say that could reassure the toddler.

"Mummy is having a baby, Esmie." Her grandmother chimed in while patting the Interloper's back.

"Oh...Is Ethie broken?" She asked and her grandfather ruffled her hair with a light chuckle.

"No, kiddo, Ethel isn't broken, don't worry, and soon you'll have a new baby brother or sister." He said as he straightened her ribbons and her grandmother fed her another cookie.

o

Esmie was squirming impatiently on her grandfather's lap by the time something different finally happened, her aunt hopped up to her feet and quickly crossed to her father's side, her red ponytail bouncing as she grasped his arm and they spoke in low, hushed tones. The little witch knowing that everything must be okay for her aunt to have turned back to them with a smile lighting up her face.

"Ursula is weak but the doctor said she is okay for a quick visit." Ulysses said as he moved over to his in-laws and parents, relieved beyond measure he had them to trust his precious daughters with while he concentrated on being there for his wife.

"And the baby?" Enya asked as she stood up from her chair, swaying from side to side as Ethel stirred.

"She's a month early so she's small and weak but she's okay, the doctors are keeping an eye on both of them." Ulysses said and then turned to Esmie with a small smile. "You ready to meet someone special, Esmie?"

Esmie nodded her head as she reached up her arms to her father, assuming that he meant her mother. "Daddy up!"

"Daddy up." Ulysses parroted and scooped his now eldest daughter into his arms, pressing a kiss to her temple as he carried into into her mother's room.

It was different from the last time Esmie saw her mother like this, not just tired and flushed but her skin was still very pale and now bruised under her eyes, a cannula sticking out of her right hand and she was curled up on the bed, holding the bundle of hospital blankets possessively and warily to her chest.

"Esmie...Ethie" Her mother breathed out, raking her dazed blue eyes over the toddler and baby as her father brought her around to have a look at the bundle of blankets.

"This is your little sister, Esmie - Sybil Enya Hallow." Her father finished for her mother, sounding quite proud and leaned down to give his wife a gentle kiss, unlike the last time he kept a hold of her and didn't set her down on the bed to be with her mother but now Esmie could notice the differences between the Interlopers; Sybil was tiny, even the three year old could see that, and she clung in a tight ball to their mother whereas Ethel was bigger and more...relaxed from being held by their mother, something Esmie knew always made her relax.

"Your idea, darling?" Her father's mother, Ethel, asked her son from where she, her husband and Epona waited at the end of the bed.

"Hardly," Ursula grumbled, rubbing her thumb gently over the newborn Sybil's fist. "Tradition demanded I name her after my mother." Not looking up as her mother flinched slightly as she held Ethel, but not surprised by her elder daughter's words.

"Baby Bear-" Cyrillus started gently only to be cut off by his daughter.

"Don't you dare defend her, Father, I-I just don't have the energy to pretend. I nearly lost Sybil today and I just don't care." She bit out while tearing up, cradling Sybil close to her chest, kissing the top of the tiny girl's head as she sniffed.

Enya placed a hand on her husband's forearm. "Cyrillus, Ursula is tired and needs her rest, let's just leave her be." She said and passed Ethel to her namesake.

"Alright," He nodded and leaned down to kiss the top of his daughter's head. "We will come back when you are feeling better, darling. Come Epona." He finished as he looked from his blonde daughter to his red haired one.

"Bye Ursa." The younger Hallow sister muttered with a small wave and moved to join her parents as the three of them transferred away.

Esmie looked between the rest of her family in the room, turning her gaze to her mother. "Bye Bye Esmie?" She asked in a small voice, not wanting to leave her mother.

"No baby, I want you with me, always." Her mother said tenderly and unwrapped one of her arms from the baby, holding out her hand to her daughter, Esmie meeting her half way and wrapped her fist around her two of her mother's purple painted fingertips with a smile lighting up her chubby cheeks, her mother was here and that was all that mattered...even if some of her hair was missing.

o

The day Esmie's parents brought home her newest 'little sister', Sybil, was vastly different from when they brought home the Interloper - it was far worse. Esmie noted for one thing her mother's hair was now cropped short after her attempt to make her pretty, her father having old her mother 'it suits you'...whatever that mean and, more importantly! That tiny, anxious creature was even more cunning than the middle Hallow sister as she easily supplanted the Interloper as the one who got the majority of their parents' attention. The Supplanter had two functions; the first screaming until her little body practically bent in half and turned beet red ensuring that no matter where they went in the manor either her mother or father, usually her mother, would have the Supplanter strapped to their chest, rocking and bouncing her until she fell asleep; and the second staring up at whoever she was trying to charm with wide sky blue eyes too big for her head, platinum blonde eyebrows furrowed anxiously as she sucked cutely on her dummy. It was pure genius.

Suddenly Esmie found that her mother was even more unavailable than before for play time, she was tired and cranky and if Esmie got too close to the Supplanter's bassinet, like she had to the Interloper's, then she would find herself being snatched away from it and dragged over to the Naughty Step by her mother or father. Esmie learned very quickly not to touch the Supplanter like she had the Interloper, who surprisingly didn't seem all that bothered by the Supplanter's presence. Instead she was trusted to an extent that Esmie wasn't, the toddler watching on from the couch, between Sirius and Morningstar, while her father sat cross legged on the rug, holding the Supplanter in his arms, her mother sitting the same way but holding the Interloper on her lap, the Interloper reaching out with a beaming smile as she patted, more like stroked, the Supplanter gently on the head with a joy filled giggle.

"Sybie!" The Interloper cooed and then clapped when the Supplanter gurgled, their parents lighting up with pride.

"Lysses, did Ethie just call her?" Ursula asked with a wide smile stretching across her face.

"Sybie, yeah, that's you baby girl!" Ulysses cooed and tickled his youngest daughter's stomach who squeaked and cuddled against him, sucking on her dummy contentedly. "She's so cute, Ursi." He said, clearly besotted, as he smiled lovingly at his wife.

"They are all." She replied and then blew a raspberry onto Ethel's arm, causing the little witch to squeal with laughter before Ursula looked up with a smile at her eldest daughter. "Esmie!"

Esmie looked up from brushing her ragdoll's hair, startled by suddenly being called. "Yes Mummy?" She asked somewhat nervously, sure she hadn't done anything wrong lately...the Interloper got out of the laundry basket before her parents found her so she was sure she got away with that...well, pretty sure.

"Come here, darling, Daddy is about to read the special story." Her mother said to her with a smile and patted her thigh in a 'come here' gesture.

Esmie grinned and slid down off the couch, toddling over to her parent and sisters, ready to sit down on the rug next to her mother when she feels her mother's hand around her waist as it gently guided Esmie onto her lap with the Interloper.

Her mother kissed the top of her head with a smile. "Good girl, Esmie. Are you ready?" She asked and gently bounced her girls sitting on her lap.

"Yes Mummy." Esmie beamed as she sat her doll in her lap ready for the special story when the Interloper patted her on the arm.

"Esmie!" The Interloper cried out with a smile and a clap.

Her father smiled at that. "See that Esmie? Ethie loves you very much."

"Why?" Esmie asked with a wrinkled brow.

"You're her big sister, Esmie, Ethie and Sybie need you and they love you very much."

"Like Mummy and Daddy love me?"

Ursula chuckled softly. "Yes, darling, your sisters love you just as we love you," She said and then shared a sly look with her husband over their blonde daughters' heads. "Do you think because Ethie and Sybie love you as much as love Mummy and Daddy do that you won't hide them around the house anymore?"

Esmie takes a moment to consider it, looking between the Supplanter and the Interloper, her brow furrowing as she thinks when the Interloper snuggled up against her, her weight dragging her backwards against their mother's stomach as warm, tanned arms wrapped around them both.

"Okay. My Mummy, my Daddy, my Ethie, my Sybie." Esmie said with a determined nod of her head, not really understanding why her parents reached out a hand each and pressed them together with a soft clap. She looked over at her little sister and instead of pulling away, gave Ethel a gentle pat on the head as their father scooted around with Sybil to sit pressed up against their mother's side. Esmie and Ethel grinned as their father opened up the special story book, propping it up so they and Sybil could see the pictures the best.

"My frog prince." Ursula said softly as she nuzzled her head against her husband's shoulder with a content sigh and smile when he leaned down to kiss her gently.

"My princess." Ulysses replied, looking down at his wife with a loving smile as he began to read. "Once upon a time..."

(The End)


End file.
